By Gary S. Vasilash

Acura, the premium division of Honda, had its start in 1986 in the U.S.

That was before Toyota launched Lexus and Nissan Infiniti.

Both of those arrived in 1989.

When Acura started, there were two vehicles on the showroom floor:

• The Legend. This sedan, with a rather ostentatious name (c’mon: somebodies else decide whether something is a legend or not), was actually developed by Honda and the now-non-existent Austin Rover Group.
• The Integra. This was something of a polar opposite of the Legend. It was a sporty three- or five-door. A more affordable vehicle.

The Legend went into the history books after the 1995 model year. In 2001 the Integra was replaced by the RSX. The RSX had a short run: until model year 2006. There was a bit of a hiatus in this car space: the ILX replaced the RSX in 2012. It had a run until model year 2022, when it was replaced by the current-generation Integra.

The point of this is that Acura has consistently maintained what can be considered an affordable, entry-way vehicle in its lineup. Of late it has been the Integra. That car has a starting price of $33,000.

And Now This

But the interest in cars has cooled*, and Acura has stocked the showroom floor with an array of SUVs. Until lately, the least-expensive Acura SUV was the RDX, with a starting price of $44,700. (In case you’re wondering; the starting price of the most-expensive is the ZDX, an electric vehicle, that begins at $64,500.)

So in order to, in part, get people into an affordable SUV Acura, the company has launched the ADX.

It has an entry price of $35,000.

The top-of-the-line ADX A-Spec Advance AWD takes the MSRP to $44,000.

But the ADX has a bit of a problem. The problem is a good one for American Honda (the overall company). But not a good one if your job is moving Acuras.

Too Good for Its Own Good

The problem is the Honda CR-V.

The 2026 CR-V LX FWD starts at $30,920. The top-of-the-line CR-V AWD Sport Touring Hybrid starts at $42,250.

Yes, there is a difference between a “Honda” and an “Acura” badge.

But there are some similarities between the two models.

Like in the ADX there is a 1.5-liter, turbocharged four that produces 190 hp. In that CR-V LX there is a 1.5-liter, turbocharged four that produces 190 hp.

Whether it is the entry ADX or the top model, there’s the same engine.

In the top-of-the-line CR-V AWD Sport Touring the powertrain produces 204 hp.  And not only is it more powerful than the ADX powertrain, it gets better fuel efficiency (40 mpg city/34 mpg highway/37 mpg combined vs. 25 mpg city/30 mpg highway/27 mpg combined).

But one might point out that when it comes to that powertrain, there’s less mass to move: the AWD ADX has a mass of 3,611 pounds and the AWD hybrid CR-V is at 3,926 pounds. But there is that additional horsepower in the CR-V, so at the very least it is a wash.

Sized Right

It should also be pointed out that dimensionally the two vehicles are fairly similar, with the ADX being 185.8 inches long and the CR-V at 184.8 inches; the ADX 72.5 inches wide and the CR-V at 73.5 inches wide. The big difference is in the height, with the ADX at 63.8 inches and the CR-V at 66.5 inches, which I suppose goes to the point of the ADX being a sport utility vehicle and the CR-V a sport utility vehicle. (And on the subject of utility, the ADX A-Spec Advance offers 23.2 cubic feet behind the second row and 53.9 cubic feet with the second row folded; the CR-V Sport Touring has 34.7 cubic feet behind the second row and 76.5 cubic feet with it folded.)

Of course, comparisons are not typically made of vehicles from the same company so perhaps the above is inappropriate (though not if you’re in the market for a new vehicle).

So just to look at the ADX A-Spec Advance driven here, it provides:

• A 10.2-inch digital gauge cluster
• 9-inch touchscreen
• A 15-W wireless charger
• 15-speaker Bang & Olufsen audio system
• Built-in Google and Alexa
• Adaptive cruise control
• Ventilated front seats (i.e., cooled as well as heated)
• Leather for seating surfaces and wrapping the steering wheel
• Sport pedals (i.e., metal)
• Powered liftgate
• 19-inch alloy wheels
• Panoramic moonroof
• And more

And it has that stylized “A” on the Diamond Pentagon grille.

But still, even if there wasn’t economic uncertainty in the world at large at the moment due to everything from tariffs to roiling in the Middle East, anyone who is looking to get the most for their money would be hard pressed not to consider the Honda rather than the Acura.

The company that encompasses Acura and Honda simply makes great products.

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*In addition to the Integra, Acura still offers the TLX. It seems as though that model may not be long for this world.